Exploring alternatives to constantly buying new crap

I skipped recording Saturday’s haul because it was fairly small to give me a chance to clean out the fridge. But I’m starting 2016 with a two week no-animal-product trial period. Even my husband’s on board, so he came shopping with me to help pick up some supplies for making this trial painfree.

Single stop: Wheatsville Co-op

Acorn squash, 1.98 pounds: $2.95

Carrots, 1.48 pounds: $2.21

Pomegranate x2: $3.00

Cilantro, 1 bunch: $1.79

Avocado x1: $1.99

Red onion, 0.90 pounds: $1.34

Tomatoes, 0.85 pounds: $2.97

Garlic, 0.12 pounds: $0.69

Jalapeno, 0.06 pounds: $0.09

Yellow bell pepper, 0.29 pounds: $0.87

9-grain bread, 1 loaf: $4.99

Provolone alternative, 1 oz: $1.19

Chocolate hemp milk, 1 quart: $3.99

Coconut milk, 1 quart: $2.69

Vinaigrette, 12 ounces: $3.79

Corn tortillas, 30 count: $1.49

Toilet paper x1: $0.79

Peanuts, 0.85 pounds: $4.50

Green lentils, 1.26 pounds: $3.77

Black beans, 1.32 pounds: $3.02

French green lentils, 0.74 pounds: $2.21

Rainbow quinoa, 0.65 pounds: $4.87

Brown rice, 1.55 pounds: $4.32

Tofurkey sausage, 4 count: $3.99

Total: $63.58

Whoa, that’s a lot more than I planned to spend, but we’re mostly stocked up for the next couple of weeks now. And my husband has milk, meat, and cheese alternatives to keep him happy. For New Year’s Day, we’ll experience the acorn squash with quinoa which we’ve often seen but never thought to eat. I even got a nice loaf of bread because it’s more wholesome than the bread I know how to make. Here’s hoping all goes well! Then in a couple of weeks, we’ll get to cook and dig into that chicken that’s still sitting in the freezer. Will it taste better after the wait? Or will we get used to the flavors of plant-based food? To be continued!…